Waterfront Toronto recently unveiled detailed plans for two soil recycling facilities for a pilot project in the Toronto Portlands. These will be the only soil washing plants currently operating in Canada.
Using technology established and tested in Belgium, Netherlands and the United States, the two companies involved in the pilot project - DEC (a private Belgian limited company and part of the DEME Group) and Tetra Tech Canada Construction Inc. (part of Wardrop Engineering Group) - will use mobile soil washing treatment plants that will be brought to the site. Supplemental treatability studies may also be undertaken to assess the use of chemical, biological (bio and phyto remediation) and thermal soil treatment technologies.
The pilot project and the soil recycling facilities will treat soils near their source, divert soils from landfills, and provide a source of treated soil that can be used as fill in the upcoming waterfront revitalization projects.
Recycling soil is a sustainable alternative to "digging and dumping", which simply transfers the contaminants to a secure landfill.
Using remediated soil in revitalization projects will reduce the need to import soil, resulting in the decrease of truck-emitted GHGs.
Impacted soils will be tested and treated to environmental standards set by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment.
The Waterfront site consists of over two million cubic metres of soil, of which 95 per cent is expected to be recycled. The pilot project, which is scheduled to take six months to complete, will process 50,000 cubic metres in the first phase of operation.
The pilot project allows Waterfront Toronto to better assess the environmental, economic and operational viability of treating and reusing soils before committing to a full-scale recycling facility.
"We have been presented with a unique opportunity to help bring Ontario to the leading edge of brownfield remediation using sustainability and technology," says John Campbell, president and CEO of Waterfront Toronto. "By using state-of-the-art technologies and processes not currently used in Canada, we have the opportunity to turn contaminated soils into a resource instead of a liability."
To learn more about Waterfront Toronto's Soil Management Strategy and approach, please visit www.waterfronttoronto.ca.